3 Million Afghans in Pakistan Being Forced to Leave

[Social Media]

 

Forced to Leave: The Uncertain Future of 3 Million Afghans in Pakistan

 

Pakistan is moving forward with plans to expel 3 million Afghan refugees from the country, marking the latest phase of a controversial crackdown on undocumented foreigners. The deadline for voluntary departures from the capital, Islamabad, and neighboring Rawalpindi expired on Monday, leaving many Afghans in limbo.

 

The mass deportations are part of a broader campaign that began in October 2023, targeting those living in Pakistan illegally. Human rights groups, the United Nations, and the Taliban government have criticized the initiative, warning of the consequences for vulnerable Afghan refugees. Many of them had fled Afghanistan after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, fearing persecution due to their work with the U.S. government, international aid agencies, and media organizations.

 

Arrests and forced removals were scheduled to start on Tuesday but have been delayed until April 10 due to Eid al-Fitr celebrations, according to government documents obtained by the Associated Press. Over the past 18 months, around 845,000 Afghans have left Pakistan, but officials estimate that approximately 3 million still remain. Among them, 1.3 million hold Proof of Registration cards, granting them temporary legal status until June 30, while another 800,000 have Afghan Citizen Cards. However, an additional 1 million Afghans are living in the country without any documentation.

 

 

Authorities have vowed to ensure that once deported, Afghans will not be allowed to return. Those with Afghan Citizen Cards were ordered to leave Islamabad and Rawalpindi by March 31 or face forced removal. Even Afghans awaiting resettlement in third countries, including the United States, were given the same deadline. The government has promised to coordinate with foreign embassies to facilitate the resettlement process, but if that fails, they too will be deported.

 

For many Afghans, this crackdown has created painful dilemmas. Omaid Khan, a 30-year-old Afghan Citizen Cardholder, must leave Pakistan under the new rules, while his wife, who holds a Proof of Registration card, can stay until June 30. Their two children, however, have no legal documentation from either country. “I am from Paktia province, but I have never been there and I am not sure about my future,” Khan said.

 

Nazir Ahmed, a 21-year-old born in Quetta, faces a similar predicament. His only connection to Afghanistan is through his late father, yet he is being forced to leave behind the only home he has ever known. “How can we go there?” he asked. “Few people know us. All our relatives live in Quetta. What will we do if we go there? We appeal to the Pakistani government to give us some time so we can go and find out, at least get some employment.”

 

The uncertainty surrounding children born in Pakistan to Afghan parents, as well as families where one parent is Pakistani and the other Afghan, has raised further concerns. Officials have indicated that social welfare staff will be available to assist with such cases, though the specifics remain unclear.

 

The Taliban government has protested Pakistan’s actions, calling the deportation policy arbitrary and urging a more coordinated approach. “We have shared our problems with them, stating that unilaterally expelling refugees is neither in their interest nor ours,” said Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Refugee Ministry. “It is not in their interest because expelling them in this way raises hatred against Pakistan. For us, it is natural that managing so many Afghans coming back is a challenge. We have requested they should be deported through a mechanism and mutual understanding so they can return with dignity.”

 

To manage the mass deportations, Pakistan has set up two transit stations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province—one in the Nasir Bagh area of Peshawar and another in Landi Kotal, near the Torkham border crossing. However, with thousands of families facing uncertainty about their legal status and future, the situation remains volatile.

 

The crisis has been further complicated by changes in U.S. refugee policy. Many Afghans approved for resettlement in the U.S. through special programs are now stuck after President Donald Trump paused refugee admissions in January. This has left around 20,000 Afghans in a state of limbo, with no clear path forward.

 

As Pakistan moves ahead with its deportation plans, the fate of millions of Afghans remains uncertain. Many are being forced to leave behind communities and lives they have built over decades, returning to a country they barely know or fear to return to at all.

 

Based on a report by NBC News  2025-04-02

 

 

[newbee2022]

1 hour ago, Social Media said:

 

Forced to Leave: The Uncertain Future of 3 Million Afghans in Pakistan

 

Pakistan is moving forward with plans to expel 3 million Afghan refugees from the country, marking the latest phase of a controversial crackdown on undocumented foreigners. The deadline for voluntary departures from the capital, Islamabad, and neighboring Rawalpindi expired on Monday, leaving many Afghans in limbo.

 

The mass deportations are part of a broader campaign that began in October 2023, targeting those living in Pakistan illegally. Human rights groups, the United Nations, and the Taliban government have criticized the initiative, warning of the consequences for vulnerable Afghan refugees. Many of them had fled Afghanistan after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, fearing persecution due to their work with the U.S. government, international aid agencies, and media organizations.

 

Arrests and forced removals were scheduled to start on Tuesday but have been delayed until April 10 due to Eid al-Fitr celebrations, according to government documents obtained by the Associated Press. Over the past 18 months, around 845,000 Afghans have left Pakistan, but officials estimate that approximately 3 million still remain. Among them, 1.3 million hold Proof of Registration cards, granting them temporary legal status until June 30, while another 800,000 have Afghan Citizen Cards. However, an additional 1 million Afghans are living in the country without any documentation.

 

 

Authorities have vowed to ensure that once deported, Afghans will not be allowed to return. Those with Afghan Citizen Cards were ordered to leave Islamabad and Rawalpindi by March 31 or face forced removal. Even Afghans awaiting resettlement in third countries, including the United States, were given the same deadline. The government has promised to coordinate with foreign embassies to facilitate the resettlement process, but if that fails, they too will be deported.

 

For many Afghans, this crackdown has created painful dilemmas. Omaid Khan, a 30-year-old Afghan Citizen Cardholder, must leave Pakistan under the new rules, while his wife, who holds a Proof of Registration card, can stay until June 30. Their two children, however, have no legal documentation from either country. “I am from Paktia province, but I have never been there and I am not sure about my future,” Khan said.

 

Nazir Ahmed, a 21-year-old born in Quetta, faces a similar predicament. His only connection to Afghanistan is through his late father, yet he is being forced to leave behind the only home he has ever known. “How can we go there?” he asked. “Few people know us. All our relatives live in Quetta. What will we do if we go there? We appeal to the Pakistani government to give us some time so we can go and find out, at least get some employment.”

 

The uncertainty surrounding children born in Pakistan to Afghan parents, as well as families where one parent is Pakistani and the other Afghan, has raised further concerns. Officials have indicated that social welfare staff will be available to assist with such cases, though the specifics remain unclear.

 

The Taliban government has protested Pakistan’s actions, calling the deportation policy arbitrary and urging a more coordinated approach. “We have shared our problems with them, stating that unilaterally expelling refugees is neither in their interest nor ours,” said Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Refugee Ministry. “It is not in their interest because expelling them in this way raises hatred against Pakistan. For us, it is natural that managing so many Afghans coming back is a challenge. We have requested they should be deported through a mechanism and mutual understanding so they can return with dignity.”

 

To manage the mass deportations, Pakistan has set up two transit stations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province—one in the Nasir Bagh area of Peshawar and another in Landi Kotal, near the Torkham border crossing. However, with thousands of families facing uncertainty about their legal status and future, the situation remains volatile.

 

The crisis has been further complicated by changes in U.S. refugee policy. Many Afghans approved for resettlement in the U.S. through special programs are now stuck after President Donald Trump paused refugee admissions in January. This has left around 20,000 Afghans in a state of limbo, with no clear path forward.

 

As Pakistan moves ahead with its deportation plans, the fate of millions of Afghans remains uncertain. Many are being forced to leave behind communities and lives they have built over decades, returning to a country they barely know or fear to return to at all.

 

Based on a report by NBC News  2025-04-02

 

 

Where are they going??

It will take some time till we can welcome them in Europe🤗😵‍💫

[jippytum]

Don't worry Starmer welcomes all to the UK.

Your hotels are waiting no pre booking or deposit required. 

[Chomper Higgot]

2 hours ago, newbee2022 said:

Where are they going??

It will take some time till we can welcome them in Europe🤗😵‍💫

They are being sent back to Afghanistan, there’s a few clues in the OP.

[newbee2022]

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

They are being sent back to Afghanistan, there’s a few clues in the OP.

 

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

They are being sent back to Afghanistan, there’s a few clues in the OP.

It's not saying in the article. You got different information? Or a link?

[Chomper Higgot]

31 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

 

It's not saying in the article. You got different information? Or a link?

Here you go:

4 hours ago, Social Media said:

As Pakistan moves ahead with its deportation plans, the fate of millions of Afghans remains uncertain. Many are being forced to leave behind communities and lives they have built over decades, returning to a country they barely know or fear to return to at all.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

Just because the west allows any Harry, Dick or terrorist in that fronts up on a leaky boat does not change the fact that every country has a right to determine whom it allows into, or stays in it. While the prospects for them doesn't look good, perhaps a certain organisation can arm them as an opposition to the taliban.

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, newbee2022 said:

Where are they going??

It will take some time till we can welcome them in Europe🤗😵‍💫

I'm surprised that the expensively coiffed Euro "leader" isn't sending an airlift to bring them into the EU. Always room and money for an illegal in stupid western countries.

[Chomper Higgot]

9 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Just because the west allows any Harry, Dick or terrorist in that fronts up on a leaky boat does not change the fact that every country has a right to determine whom it allows into, or stays in it. While the prospects for them doesn't look good, perhaps a certain organisation can arm them as an opposition to the taliban.

 

 

Because that works out so well.

[newbee2022]

11 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I'm surprised that the expensively coiffed Euro "leader" isn't sending an airlift to bring them into the EU. Always room and money for an illegal in stupid western countries.

As I read some hundreds of Afghans landed in Frankfurt the other day.

Congrats and enjoy🥴

[simple1]

45 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

They are being sent back to Afghanistan, there’s a few clues in the OP.

 

Most of the Afghans in Pakistan have been waiting decades for resettlement by the UN. It appears rather odd Pakistan is now giving them a deadline of a few weeks to return to Afghanistan or forcibly be deported. There is no other country that will accept them,; maybe the Afghan Shia will be accepted by Iran, but Iran already has taken in approx one million. With no proof at all I suspect there is a secret agreement in place to remove the Afghans from Pakistan, but for what reason?

[simple1]

18 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Just because the west allows any Harry, Dick or terrorist in that fronts up on a leaky boat does not change the fact that every country has a right to determine whom it allows into, or stays in it. While the prospects for them doesn't look good, perhaps a certain organisation can arm them as an opposition to the taliban.

 

Gormless post

[sammieuk1]

2 hours ago, jippytum said:

Don't worry Starmer welcomes all to the UK.

Your hotels are waiting no pre booking or deposit required. 

A million rucksacks to carry your peroxide will be on Lammy's shopping list and 9-13 year old virgins on Rayners' to make you feel at home  🤔

[newbee2022]

18 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Here you go:

 

Here you go;

Over the past 18 months, around 845,000 Afghans have left Pakistan,

 

Not saying where to

[thaibeachlovers]

1 minute ago, simple1 said:

 

Gormless post

Gormless reply.

[simple1]

5 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

As I read some hundreds of Afghans landed in Frankfurt the other day.

Congrats and enjoy🥴

 

A reality check:

A chartered airplane carrying 82 women and 92 men from Afghanistan landed at Hannover airport on Thursday afternoon, the German Interior Ministry said.  

The program provides ways for those who helped German forces or civilian organizations following the 2001 invasion. Those people and their families are considered at risk of retribution from the Taliban.

 

https://www.dw.com/en/germany-174-at-risk-afghans-land-at-hannover-airport/a-72059009

[thaibeachlovers]

4 minutes ago, simple1 said:

 

Most of the Afghans in Pakistan have been waiting decades for resettlement by the UN. It appears rather odd Pakistan is now giving them a deadline of a few weeks to return to Afghanistan or forcibly be deported. There is no other country that will accept them,; maybe the Afghan Shia will be accepted by Iran, but Iran already has taken in approx one million. With no proof at all I suspect there is a secret agreement in place to remove the Afghans from Pakistan, but for what reason?

Perhaps Pakistan is sick of paying for 3 million people that don't belong there. As for resettlement by the UN, does anyone think any country wants 3 million Afghans, or even one?

 

Here's a thought, perhaps the UN doesn't have enough money to pay for their food any more, and Pakistan doesn't want to or can't afford to.

[Patong2021]

The Afghanis in pakistan often have tribal  connections or for tens of thousands of them, are awaiting a decision on their claim for refugee status in Canada, EU and the USA.

 

A large number are in Pakistan because they made the mistake of backing  the USA in its war. They join a long list of people who made the mistake of aligning with US interests over the past 75 +/- years. 

 

No, I do not expect the USA to take them in, nor should it. However, as they were in large part a creation of the US war in Afghanistan, I would expect that the USA would contribute to the care for these people in Pakistan. One of the reasons Pakistan has to send them back is that it cannnot afford to care for 3 million refugees.

 

[newbee2022]

3 minutes ago, simple1 said:

 

A reality check:

A chartered airplane carrying 82 women and 92 men from Afghanistan landed at Hannover airport on Thursday afternoon, the German Interior Ministry said.  

The program provides ways for those who helped German forces or civilian organizations following the 2001 invasion. Those people and their families are considered at risk of retribution from the Taliban.

 

https://www.dw.com/en/germany-174-at-risk-afghans-land-at-hannover-airport/a-72059009

That's what I mentioned. They are probably very welcome to mingle with the Germans. It's maybe time to change from Ger-many to Afgha-many. 😂

[thaibeachlovers]

1 minute ago, simple1 said:

 

A reality check:

A chartered airplane carrying 82 women and 92 men from Afghanistan landed at Hannover airport on Thursday afternoon, the German Interior Ministry said.  

The program provides ways for those who helped German forces or civilian organizations following the 2001 invasion. Those people and their families are considered at risk of retribution from the Taliban.

 

https://www.dw.com/en/germany-174-at-risk-afghans-land-at-hannover-airport/a-72059009

It's a tragedy that western countries that used and abused locals in pursuit of their failed policies are not required to take them when it all turns to the brown stuff. Sadly, locals still volunteer- I guess they don't read AN to know they are foolish to do so.

 

Those people and their families are considered at risk of retribution from the Taliban.

I doubt Bush, Obama, Trump or Biden gave a thought to the fate of those locals stupid enough to work for the invaders.

[simple1]

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Perhaps Pakistan is sick of paying for 3 million people that don't belong there. As for resettlement by the UN, does anyone think any country wants 3 million Afghans, or even one?

 

Here's a thought, perhaps the UN doesn't have enough money to pay for their food any more, and Pakistan doesn't want to or can't afford to.

 

If the UN has insufficient funds right now it would primarily be due to Trump withdrawing support / aid worldwide for the under privileged.

 

A UN report on Afghan refugees in Pakistan follows:

 

https://www.unhcr.org/asia/news/stories/op-ed-call-compassion-afghan-refugees-pakistan-and-path-hope#:~:text=Pakistan's continued support for Afghan,communities are feeling the strain.

[quake]

Can the uk send some Pakistanis back as well.

We have way to many at present.

Win, Win.

[thaibeachlovers]

15 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

As I read some hundreds of Afghans landed in Frankfurt the other day.

Congrats and enjoy🥴

Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised at that- typical. I make an exception if they worked for the crusaders.

[Chomper Higgot]

25 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Perhaps Pakistan is sick of paying for 3 million people that don't belong there. As for resettlement by the UN, does anyone think any country wants 3 million Afghans, or even one?

 

Here's a thought, perhaps the UN doesn't have enough money to pay for their food any more, and Pakistan doesn't want to or can't afford to.

“As for resettlement by the UN, does anyone think any country wants 3 million Afghans, or even one?”
 

There is no suggestion of settling 3 million Afghans anywhere but back in Afghanistan.

 

As for your ignorant ‘or, even one’.

 

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Afghan_Americans

[thaibeachlovers]

2 minutes ago, simple1 said:

 

If the UN has insufficient funds right now it would primarily be due to Trump withdrawing support / aid worldwide for the under privileged.

 

A UN report on Afghan refugees in Pakistan follows:

 

https://www.unhcr.org/asia/news/stories/op-ed-call-compassion-afghan-refugees-pakistan-and-path-hope#:~:text=Pakistan's continued support for Afghan,communities are feeling the strain.

A good thing too. Why should the west pay for the hordes that live in <deleted> countries. They got themselves into the brown stuff by overpopulating their countries, so let them sort it out themselves.

As long as they keep getting fed, they'll keep overpopulating their countries. It's not something that can continue for ever, and now is as good a time to stop as any.

[newbee2022]

21 minutes ago, quake said:

Can the uk send some Pakistanis back as well.

We have way to many at present.

Win, Win.

Send them to Germany. They are welcome there🤗

[digger70]

3 hours ago, newbee2022 said:

 

It's not saying in the article. You got different information? Or a link?

Pakistan said it will make sure that Afghans do not return once deported.

Authorities wanted Afghan Citizen cardholders to leave the capital Islamabad and Rawalpindi city by March 31 and return to Afghanistan voluntarily or be deported.

[newbee2022]

1 hour ago, digger70 said:

Pakistan said it will make sure that Afghans do not return once deported.

Authorities wanted Afghan Citizen cardholders to leave the capital Islamabad and Rawalpindi city by March 31 and return to Afghanistan voluntarily or be deported.

And your point is what? 😳

[Chomper Higgot]

14 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

And your point is what? 😳

Exposing your inability to read and understand the OP would seem like the intent.

 

 

[newbee2022]

5 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Exposing your inability to read and understand the OP would seem like the intent.

 

 

I'm not going your path of bickering and disrespect.

If you like it that way look for a fool. It's not me.❗